Women are already leading innovations in clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation. Here’s how to support their enterprises and ensure that climate-friendly businesses also boost gender justice. By Keisha Gani, Anais Mangin, Windy Massabni, San Sar and Diana Tjoeng.
Social purpose enterprises across the globe increasingly see that gender equality and climate justice are interconnected. Women are vital leaders in transitioning to a low-carbon economy. They are innovators, leaders, entrepreneurs, workers and customers in climate-related fields. At the same time, women and disadvantaged groups are disproportionately affected by climate change, facing greater challenges across health, livelihoods, and in society.
How can we support enterprises that address social inequalities and the climate crisis to promote gender justice? That was the focus of a session at the last ANDE Annual Conference in Bangkok, convened by Oxfam, iDE Cambodia and Good Return. In this blog we draw five key insights from that session and from our wider work in impact finance and enterprise support.
1. Support women’s leadership in climate action
Women are already driving climate solutions and leading innovations in clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation. Their work is often based on established and locally rooted practices and techniques that have positive environmental impacts. But it’s not always obvious how significant their contributions are. Highlighting women-led initiatives and their role in combating climate change can inspire others and amplify their impact.
A big challenge for women green entrepreneurs is demonstrating their impact both to the public and to investors. The high cost of measuring climate impact makes doing this unaffordable for most entrepreneurs in the countries where investment is most needed. Incorporating affordable, user-friendly tools into investment schemes can bridge this gap. Giving women entrepreneurs the tools to measure reductions in carbon emissions or improvements in resource efficiency could help them showcase their contributions, scale up their efforts and attract investment.
Another area of support is through creating networks and communities of practice for women entrepreneurs to foster peer learning and collaboration. One example of this is The Sustainable Business Alliance in Cambodia, established by Oxfam and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, which showcases sustainable practices and connects entrepreneurs with investors. Such initiatives amplify the efforts of women-led green enterprises.
2. Promote innovative financial tools
Access to finance remains a critical challenge for underserved entrepreneurs, especially women. They need financial products tailored to their unique needs and which address the high costs of climate-smart technologies. We see a strong need for flexible, impact-linked financing tools that tie gender and climate outcomes to financial incentives.
A good example of innovation in finance comes from SAFCO Microfinance in Pakistan. It provides finance to support recovery from climate disasters, or for the purchase of agricultural inputs designed for climate adaptation. One client, “Rukhsana”, drew on this finance to rebuild her farm after devastating floods. By purchasing climate-resilient seeds and tools, she also ensured her family’s livelihood while preparing for future shocks. Such tailored solutions highlight how the right financial tools can support women to recover and thrive.
We also see a role for innovative products such as weather-based insurance (which insures against bad weather) and climate-resilient loans (which allow suspension of payments in periods of climate stress). These tools provide immediate relief and long-term security for businesses affected by climate disasters, ensuring that entrepreneurs can adapt and rebuild.
3. Support enterprises that embed gender equity in what they do
Embedding gender equity at the heart of how social enterprises work is crucial. Look at Solar Green Energy Cambodia (SOGE). It has provided over 2,300 solar irrigation water pumps, helping farmers increase their income and agricultural yields by up to 50% despite rising climate risks.
SOGE’s CEO Thida Kheav (see picture above) has participated in iDE’s “SHE powered” programmes and Oxfam’s gender advisory support programme. SOGE has incorporated the principles of gender equity into the way it works with women, including through flexible payment plans for single mothers and discounts for low-income women, demonstrating how tailored financial solutions can promote equity.
4. Centre entrepreneurs in measuring the things that matter to them
Metrics such as reduced CO2 emissions, waste reduction, and resource efficiency or sex-disaggregated indicators are critical benchmarks that help to guide financial investments with gender and climate goals. However, standardised impact measurement frameworks may not capture the full picture, benefits and unique contexts of entrepreneurs and should be combined with qualitative assessments.
Good Return, a social purpose organisation based in Asia-Pacific, highlights the importance of engaging directly with entrepreneurs on measures that matter to them. By conducting interviews with women business owners in Cambodia and Fiji, they uncovered success factors that are often overlooked.
Nisrat Nazeen, CEO of Aromas Fiji, an online artisan soap store based in Fiji, told Good Return how flexibility and autonomy in her schedule – allowing her to care for her son while running her business – define success for her. She also pointed to environmental successes that might be missed by usual metrics, such as repurposing shells from coconuts used in soap production for use in heating.
Engaging entrepreneurs in designing their own measurement framework not only respects their diversity but also ensures that investments address their real needs. This approach uncovers and prioritises success factors important to entrepreneurs that are often missed by generic, investor-driven metrics.
5. Align financial and non-financial support
To meet the needs of diverse entrepreneurs, financial and non-financial support must work hand in hand. Beyond funding, non-financial interventions, such as leadership development and gender-focused technical assistance, are crucial to fostering transformative enterprises.
Creating safe spaces where women can reflect on gender dynamics within their businesses builds personal confidence and leadership skills. Programmes must also account for women’s caregiving responsibilities, offering flexible schedules and pacing. Programmes should also integrate climate risk assessments and green business modelling into their work, helping SMEs adopt sustainable practices and build resilience.
Promoting gender equality in business policies and practices, from leadership roles to supply chains, is another critical area. This requires integrating a gender lens throughout the investment process, from due diligence to impact measurement.
Connecting gender and climate justice in enterprise support
These stories above illustrate the transformative power of focusing on gender equality in green enterprises. Tailored financial tools, such as climate-resilient loans, or flexible finance, combined with non-financial support are essential for creating lasting change.
The stories also illustrate the broad point that to drive meaningful impact from social enterprises, we must go beyond addressing gender and climate challenges in parallel, unconnected ways. Designing participatory programmes that centre women entrepeeneurs’ voices, amplify their leadership, and equip them to measure their impact will foster both social and environmental resilience. By scaling inclusive solutions and aligning support systems, we can ensure women leaders are supported and visible in the green economy and create a more equitable, sustainable future for all.
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